Brookline Police Cracking Down on Bicycle Laws

The Brookline Police Twitter announced that this month they have already made 448 stops and issued 22 citations to bicyclists traveling Brookline roads. Of those, about 215 were in the last week alone, as tallied in .

While a lot of these are verbal warnings for not obeying traffic rules, bikers who aren't following the laws may soon see tickets. 

Officer Fred Amendola commented, "They wanted to share the road and unfortunately they have to share the violations too."

He added that a lot of bikers are thankful for the reminders when stopped; some are just surprised.

The Boston Globe recently published some columns on biking which are range from the very negative to the very positive about biking. As biking is becoming a more widespread method of transportation, some are calling for road-sharing etiquette and crackdowns on law-breakers.

The Brookline Town website includes a number of safety tips, and a note that riders should "Obey all traffic laws including stops signs, traffic lights, and other traffic controls. Bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles."

However, there are a number of laws regarding bicycle use which are more specific than that. Mass Bike, a bicycling advocacy group, summarizes laws and rights for bicyclists on their webpage. These include: 

• You must obey all traffic laws and regulations of the Commonwealth.
• You must use hand signals to let people know you plan stop or turn.
• You must give pedestrians the right of way.
• You must give pedestrians an audible signal before overtaking or passing them.
• You must ride astride a regular, permanent seat that is attached to your bicycle.
• You must keep one hand on your handlebars at all times.
• If you are 16 years old or younger, you must wear a helmet that meets U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission requirements on any bike, anywhere, at all times. The helmet must fit your head and the chin strap must be fastened.
• You must have your headlight and taillight on if you are riding anytime from 1/2 hour after sunset until 1/2 hour before sunrise.
• You must wear reflectors on both ankles if there are no reflectors on your pedals.
• You must notify the police of any accident involving personal injury or property damage over $100.

After a bill passed by state legislators in January, 2009, there are more rights for bicyclists than there were under earlier laws, referenced above. For example, one law edited out of the list above noted that riders were required to travel in single-file--the 2009 bill has amended that to allow two bicyclists to ride abreast, unless a faster vehicle is attempting to pass. 

In addition to laws regarding how people on two wheels use the road, those on four wheels also bear responsibilities to the bicycling community. Drivers can now be ticketed for "dooring" a bicyclist--opening a car door into a passing cyclist is punishable by a $100 fine. Making a sudden right turn after passing a bike, called a "right hook" by some bicyclists, is now prohibited.

Both State Reps. Frank Smizik and Jeffrey Sanchez, who represent precincts of Brookline, signed onto the 2009 bill.

[Correction - Thursday 1:32 p.m.: The 2009 bill changed the following requirement from ANSI: "Safety Standard for Helmets : The acceptable standard for bicycle helmets is changed to refer to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission."]